Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Listening to each of her friends get paddled, knowing her turn was fast approaching was torture . It was a torture she’d endured more than once, but it never seemed to get easier.

Especially when it was Carly’s turn. Not only did Taylor have the added stress of knowing she was next, but she could literally feel the air move as Matt swung the paddle. Carly’s cries were in her ears, along with the sound of wood connecting with bare flesh.

“The next time you or one of your friends wants to do something dangerous, I expect you to come right to me. Do you understand me, Carly Marie?”

“Yes, Daddy!” Her response ended on a shriek as the paddle made contact with her bottom a fourth time.

“If you don’t, I can promise this punishment will seem like a walk in the park, little girl. You are too important to me for me to let you get away with taking unnecessary risks with your life.”

Tears pooled on Taylor’s lashes at those words. She hadn’t meant for anyone to be in danger. That was part of why she’d volunteered to go up the ladder, along with her apparently wrong assumption that her Daddy would go easier on her than the others.

God, she wished she could go back and tell herself the truth.

“Here you go, Ian.”

Matt’s words had her attention snapping right back to the present. To the fact she was bent in half, waiting for her Daddy to paddle her already sore bottom. And the fact that she would be receiving even more swats when he was done.

Warm wood tapped against her bottom, and she couldn’t quite fight back the whimper. “Five for you, Taylor Grace. I trust I don’t need to remind you why you’re here?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Good girl.”

The wood slammed into her with that same sharp crack she’d heard so many times already. Only now, the sound was followed by an explosion of pain across her ass.

“Ow, ow, Daddy, I’m sorry!”

Her only response was another swat of the paddle, another thousand bee stings covering her skin. Then a third, and a fourth, by which point silent tears were sliding down her cheeks once again.

After the fifth swat, her Daddy leaned down, his voice gentle and soothing in her ear. “You took that so well, baby. I’m so proud of you. Do you want a hug?”

Popping upright, she threw her arms around his neck. The pressure in her chest eased somewhat when he pulled her close, rocking her gently from side to side as he whispered praise in her ear.

“My good girl. I know this isn’t an easy punishment, but you’re doing such a good job, baby.”

She didn’t feel like a good girl. Not yet. But his words helped to ease the worst of her pain, and soon she felt herself relaxing into his embrace.

“There’s my girl. Are you going to be a good girl and get back in position for the rest of your punishment?”

“O-okay, Daddy.”

“That’s my baby. Hands back on the couch.”

Sniffling quietly, she pulled herself out of his arms and bent over again, placing her palms on the cushion. Carly slid her hand over, linking their pinkies together. “We’re almost done,” she whispered, offering up a watery smile of support.

“Yeah. Hopefully Edie’s not too mad.”

That hope was dashed when Edie cleared her throat and began lecturing. “I’m very disappointed in all of you girls. Every one of you knows that if I tell you ‘No’ about something, I have a damn good reason for it. But you decided to completely disregard my wishes and do what you wanted anyway. So not only am I disappointed, but I’m hurt. And it’s going to be a long road to rebuilding the trust you broke today.”

The guilty rock in Taylor’s chest, which had finally begun to lighten, grew heavier and heavier again with every word out of Edie’s mouth.

“We’re really sorry, Edie,” Carly said, her voice quivering. “We never meant to hurt you.”

“I know, Carly-girl. I’m still going to give you all the five swats your Daddies promised you from me. And Jesse?”

“Yes, Mommy?”

“Your Daddy and I will be having a discussion with you as soon as your friends leave. As my Little girl, you should know better than anyone to accept ‘No’ for an answer.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are, babygirl. But you’re all about to be a lot sorrier.”

With that came the first crack of the paddle, followed by Ginny’s short shriek of pain. The rest of the swats followed swiftly after, meaning Edie wasn’t even giving anyone a moment to absorb one swat before the next landed.

Which also meant it was far too soon before she was standing next to Taylor, tapping the heavy wood against her bottom again. But instead of swinging away like she had with the others, Edie leaned down to whisper in Taylor’s ear.

“I love you, Taylor. Too much to let your stubborn nature put you, or any of my girls in danger. Am I making myself perfectly clear, little girl?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m not mad. But I’m also not going to let you get away with this open defiance, especially when it puts the people I love in harm's way.”

Fresh tears were already tracking down her cheeks when Edie swung the paddle the first time. The pain was almost a relief, especially with how fast Edie was paddling her. There was no time to think, to reflect. There was only the pain, and the growing pressure in her chest.

Pressure that finally cracked, just a little, with the final swat. She was so close to breaking she could literally feel it.

“Do you need a break, Tayter Tot?” Her Daddy’s voice washed over her, soothing some of the ragged edges inside her as he rubbed her back in slow circles.

Not trusting herself to speak, she shook her head.

“All right, baby. Four more and you’re done. I’m so proud of how well you’re taking this.” The rubbing stopped, but his hand stayed on her back. “Rex, you’re up first.”

“You sure about this?” Rex asked, his voice low but not quite low enough for her not to hear.

“Very sure. One swat from each of you, so she remembers to think about her friends and the people who love them the next time she wants to do something dangerous.”

“Fair enough. One swat, Taylor. Ready?”

“Y-yes, Sir,” she managed to choke out.

Rex, bless him, didn’t spank nearly as hard as her Daddy or Edie. Which was both a relief and a disappointment as it gave her a bit of a break, but didn’t get her any closer to that breaking point she was so desperate to reach.

Dom, on the other hand, didn’t hold back. Neither did Matt, as she’d expected, but it wasn’t the pain that pushed her closer to her breaking point as much as the words he murmured to her afterward.

“I hope you can feel how very loved you are, little girl. We would all be devastated if anything happened to you, or any of the others.”

Finally, it was Grant’s turn. And that was the swat, delivered so the edge of the thick paddle caught the sensitive crease right where her thighs and ass met, that finally broke her. Sobbing, she let herself be pulled into her Daddy’s arms as he rocked and soothed the guilt away.

“My good little girl. I’m so proud of you, baby. Thank you for trusting me with this.”

When her sobs quieted, she was passed from grownup to grownup for a hug, ending with a long cuddle and some more murmured praise.

It wasn’t until she was in the car, exhausted and falling asleep that her Daddy’s words actually registered. Thank you for trusting me.

What did he mean by that?